Audience suggestions written on slips of paper before the show, placed in a hat (or bowl, or bucket), pulled randomly, and performed as rapid-fire scenes lasting 10-30 seconds each. The purest form of suggestion-to-scene: no warm-up, no development, just premise and execution.
How it works:
- Before the show (or during intermission), audience members write scene suggestions on slips of paper — typically situations, locations, or "things you wouldn't want to hear from your ___"
- A host pulls suggestions from the hat one at a time, reads them aloud
- One or more performers step forward and perform the suggestion immediately — a line, a quick scene, a physical bit
- The host buzzes or waves them off when the moment has landed (or hasn't)
- Next slip. Repeat until the hat is empty or the segment ends
Scenes are extremely short. The best ones are one line or one moment. The game rewards the performer who steps out first with something specific.
Origin: Popularized globally by Whose Line Is It Anyway? — first the UK version (1988-1999, hosted by Clive Anderson) and then the US version (1998-2007, hosted by Drew Carey; revived 2013-present with Aisha Tyler). The game existed in shortform circles before the show, but Whose Line made it iconic. Ryan Stiles, Colin Mochrie, and Wayne Brady turned it into a masterclass in speed and commitment.
What it demands:
- Speed — you have zero prep time. The suggestion is read; you must be performing within seconds.
- Commitment — a half-hearted attempt dies immediately. The format is merciless about energy and conviction.
- Editing instinct — knowing when your moment has peaked and getting off. The worst Scenes from a Hat crime is lingering.
- Volume — you will perform 15-30 suggestions in a segment. Not all will land. The game trains comfort with failure at speed.
When to use it: As an audience warm-up — it gets the audience participating immediately (they wrote the suggestions). As an energy peak in a shortform show — fast, loud, unpredictable. As a training exercise — rapid-fire initiation practice with audience feedback built in (laughter or silence).
What makes it work vs. what kills it: Good Scenes from a Hat requires a curating host who skips weak suggestions and keeps pace. It requires performers willing to step out on bad suggestions and commit anyway. It dies when performers hesitate, when the host lets scenes run too long, or when suggestions are too generic ("a boring day at work") to inspire specific choices.